following information,
which is published in the issue of that journal for May 26, 1906:--

"The surcharged penny and halfpenny postage stamps on the 3/-
and 2/6 denominations respectively were issued on the [page
54] 10th instant, and withdrawn on the 23rd April. The issue
was necessary owing to a delay in receipt of a requisition
for stamps sent to England on the 9th February, and by the
abnormal sales, from some unknown reason, of the usual penny
and halfpenny stamps during February and March.

"A very small issue was made pending the arrival of the mail
on the 24th, by which the indent above mentioned was received.
The total issue was 4500 penny and 3780 halfpenny."

The stamps overprinted to provide these emergency supplies were the
2s. 6d. purple and brown on yellow paper, which was overprinted for
the halfpenny, and the 3s. carmine and green on yellow paper for the
penny overprint.

The surcharging was effected in the Colony. In the case of the 1/2d. the
overprint consists of the word

HALF
PENNY

in two lines of block capitals, and below this are two bars formed
by ordinary printers' rules about 8 1/2mm. long cancelling the figures
denoting the original value of the stamp.

The type and rules were set up to overprint the stamps thirty at a
time (5 horizontal rows of 6 stamps); thus the complete sheet of 120
stamps had to pass four times through the press. There is a slight
variation in the distance between the bottom of the letters comprising
the word PENNY and the uppermost bar, in the third and fourth rows of
the setting. In rows 1, 2 and 5 the bar is 5mm. away from the bottom
of the type; in rows 3 and 4 it is only 4mm. distant.

The first stamp in the second row of the setting is a variety in which
the E of PENNY is broken and the word reads PFNNY. The only other
variety occurring in the setting is a slightly depressed Y of PENNY.
This occurs in the first stamp in the 5th row.

[page 55]

The 3s. stamp was overprinted with the words "ONE PENNY" in one line
of small capitals. The overprint was applied to a complete pane of 60
stamps at a time, so that the entire sheet of 120 was surcharged at
two impressions instead of four, as in the 1/2d. on 2s. 6d. stamp. The
only varieties which have been recorded of this ONE PENNY overprint
are of slight defects, possibly occurring only in particular
impressions. It, however, exists with the overprint double.

T